This invention relates to an infusion container capable of having a drug solution aseptically injected into an inside of a main body of the container.
Since a drug solution, for example, a vitamin preparation is denatured by heat, an infusion container in which the drug solution is contained can not be sterilized using high pressure steam. Conventionally, the drug solution which is denatured by heat is injected into an infusion container and mixed with another solution therein upon infusion treatment. When the drug solution is injected into the infusion container and mixed with the other solution therein, piercing an injection needle through a rubber stopper of a drug discharge port of the infusion container has been adopted. However, it is difficult to carry out such method of injection and mixing aseptically and there is a fear that bacteria will contaminate the infusion container.
In view of the above, as a medical container capable of injection and mixing of a drug solution aseptically, a medical container in which an injection port for mixing, i.e., a drug injection port, comprises a cylindrical port member, a rubber stopper for sealing the port member, a piercing part, a housing for providing communication between an inside thereof and an inside of the piercing part and connected to or formed by integral molding with the piercing part, a sterilization filter supported by the housing and an accommodation cover, has been proposed (Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 19480/1997). However, the medical container described above is disadvantageous because of occurrence of coring caused by piercing of the rubber stopper, an enlarged scale of the drug injection port due to the structure of the piercing part, or an increased cost caused by a large number of components.
This invention has been accomplished in view of the foregoing background and intends to provide an infusion container in which injecting and mixing of drugs can be performed aseptically, in which no coring is caused, having fewer parts, and having a compact structure.
Intense studies have been carried out by the inventor of the present invention in order to solve the foregoing problems. As a result, it was found that the problems can be solved by using a rubber stopper with a slit as the rubber stopper for sealing the port member, and the present invention was completed.
That is, this invention concerns an infusion container comprising a communication port capable of connecting with a syringe, a container main body, a communication channel for communicating the inside of the container main body with the communication port, and a sterilization filter provided in the communication channel, wherein an inner lumen of the communication port is closed with a rubber stopper provided with a slit which allows a top end tip of the syringe to pass therethrough and wherein the communication channel is closed by a closing means capable of being easily opened.
The closing means is disposed on a base end of the sterilization filter. The closing means preferably has a structure in which a film is welded weakly to the surface on a base end of an annular protrusion provided on an inner wall of a communication channel portion of the communication channel. Further, the sterilization filter preferably is sandwiched between the communication port and the communication channel portion.